Lawndale Tribune
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............4
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................4
Election 2018........................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....4
Legals.................................6,7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
National Walk to School Day
Last Friday, Lawndale Elementary School District commemorated National Walk to School Day. Anderson Elementary School staff, dedicated volunteers, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
members collaborated to support safety route awareness, encourage physical activity and build community with district families. Photo: LESD.
City Council Seats, Sales Tax Measure
to Go to Vote on November 6
By Brian Simon
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, local voters will
decide which two of three candidates will
fill two available seats on the Lawndale City
Council. Incumbent Pat Kearney hopes to
secure his second term. Bernadette Suarez,
who won the City Clerk race in 2014 and
was then appointed to a vacant a Council seat
in 2016, will look to continue her service for
the next four years. Small business owner
Edgar Macias, throwing his hat in the ring
for the first time, also seeks a spot on the
dais. Meanwhile, Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles
and City Clerk Rhonda Hofmann Gorman are
running opposed for their respective offices.
Voters will also weigh in on whether or
not to approve a proposed three-quarter-cent
(0.75 percent) sales tax increase designed to
bolster City of Lawndale annual revenues by
an estimated $2.1 million annually. On Aug.
6, the Lawndale City Council voted 5-0 to
place Measure L on the ballot with a stated
goal to use the funds to help maintain the
current level of public safety and quality of
life services (e.g. parks programming).
According to the City’s website, the Council
placed the item on the ballot “in order to stop
these historic state takeaways and fund key
city services that help protect Lawndale’s
property values.” The list of local services the
City indicated the additional yearly funding
will go towards includes maintaining 9-1-1
emergency services; ensuring safe drinking
water supplies; fighting gangs and drugs;
maintaining 9-1-1 emergency response times;
and maintaining programs that attract businesses
and create jobs.
“Response times for 9-1-1 calls are critical
for stopping crime, protecting victims, and
saving lives,” the information on the City’s
website reads. “Measure L, if enacted, will
maintain neighborhood patrols, keep deputies
on the street, and maintain law enforcement
emergency response times to all neighborhoods
in our city. If the City is forced to
cut basic services like pothole repair, graffiti
removal, and open-space maintenance, the
City of Lawndale will become a less desirable
place to live and do business. Measure L, if
enacted, will help local property values by
making sure Lawndale has well-maintained
streets and safe and clean neighborhoods and
parks. Measure L includes strict accountability
provisions, including public spending reports,
annual independent audits, and oversight to
make sure that every cent of Lawndale tax
dollars are spent as promised. All funds are
required by law to remain local and can only
be used in the City of Lawndale.”
The election information overview at
www.lawndalecityorg additionally includes
a link to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
that address the particulars as to why the
funds are necessary, the local services that
will be specifically addressed and provisions
for fiscal accountability. An additional link
brings readers to an impartial analysis of
the measure, which also explains the categories
of items that would qualify for the
additional tax amount. Specifically, as stated
in the impartial analysis, the 0.75 percent
additional tax “will apply to everyone who
purchases retail goods within City limits.
Food purchased as groceries and prescription
medication will not be taxed under this
measure. Visitors to Lawndale will bear part
of the tax burden imposed by their local
activities and thus contribute to the City’s
ability to maintain general public services
that they use while visiting. Residents and
other purchasers of goods in the City will
also be subject to the tax.”
The City website home page also includes
details on voter information, including the
ability for residents to check if they are
registered to vote; a form to register to vote;
and polling locations.
The following is a rundown on registration
and vote-by-mail information, as provided
by the City:
Those who wish to vote and are not yet
registered may do so securely by visiting
www.registertovote.ca.gov. The deadline
to register in time to vote in next month’s
election is Oct. 22. Vote-by-mail pamphlets
will go out to residents starting on Oct.
8. Those who do not receive their ballots
by Oct. 15 can contact the Los Angeles
County Elections Department at (800)
815-2666 to request another copy. Those
who choose to vote by mail must have
their ballots postmarked on or by Nov. 6 –
and the ballots must be received by Nov. 9
in order to be counted. Completed mail
ballots may be returned to any Los Angeles
County Polling Place on Election Day from
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents may request a
vote-by-mail ballot by visiting https://lavote.
net/home/voting-elections/votingoptions/voteby
mail/apply-to-vote-by-mail. The request
deadline is Oct. 30. For more information,
call the Los Angeles County Elections
Department at (800) 815-2666. Otherwise,
registered voters may cast their ballots in
person on Nov. 6 from the hours of 7 a.m.
to 8 p.m. at their prescribed local polling
place. To find the correct polling place
location or to view a sample ballot, visit the
Los Angeles County Voter Registration at
https://lavote.net/vrstatus/ •
Friday
Sunny
74˚/64˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
69˚/62˚
Sunday
Showers
67˚/62˚
AND lAwNDAle News
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 77, No. 41 - October 11, 2018